AIRCOP Airport Communication Project Newsletter N°10 – September 2019

FIRST STEPS IN THE LAUNCH OF AIRCOP IN IRAQ

From 8 to 12 September, the first ever AIRCOP training in Iraq was delivered in Baghdad by ex- perts from the INTERCOPS programme of the Brazilian federal police. Focusing on the detection and interdiction of suspicious passengers at international airports, the activity, funded by the Japanese government, brought together 37 law enforcement officers from various agencies oper- ating at Iraqi International airports and aimed at strengthening the skills of the participating offic- ers in the verification of identity documents, screening procedures, the analysis of travel data and evidence-based risk assessment. This training marks the first step in the launch of AIRCOP in Iraq and extends the AIRCOP network to 35 participating countries (40 airports) in , the Middle East, and the Caribbean. DRUG TRAFFICKING NETWORK DISMANTLED BY JAITF IN SANTA-CRUZ, BOLIVIA

As a result of effective cooperation between Bolivia, including the Joint Interdiction Task Force (JAITF) of Santa Cruz, and , a drug trafficking network operating out of the Viru Viru Inter- national Airport and transporting illicit drugs to Spain was disbanded. This led to the seizure of 47 kilograms of cocaine in Barajas, , and the detention of 9 individuals, including a police officer from the Special Force to Fight against Drug Trafficking (FELCN) in Bolivia.

UNCCT/AIRCOP COUNTER-TERRORISM WORKSHOP IN WCO-COPES / AIRCOP TRAINING ON CUSTOMS PRACTICES IN , NIAMEY, NIGER

From 16 to 20 September, a workshop focusing on risk analysis From 2 to 6 September, a specialized training on post-seizure investi- and detection of potential foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) travel- gations was delivered in Niamey, Niger, in cooperation with the pro- ling by air was held in Dakar, Senegal, in cooperation with the gramme on the Compendium of Customs Operational Practices for United Nations Counter Terrorism Centre (UNCCT). The training Enforcement and Seizures (COPES) of the World Customs Organization was delivered to 24 officers from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mau- (WCO). 29 officers from the police and customs working at Niamey ritania, Niger and Senegal. airport as well as 2 prosecutors participated in the training, which was funded by the United States of America.

Key Seizures By JAITFs:

Date: 31 August and Date: 6 September 2019 Date: 23 September 2019 14 September 2019 Place: Abidjan, Ivory Coast Place: , Argentina Place: , Seizure: 6 Kg of cannabis Seizure: 3 Kg of cocaine Seizure: 175 pellets of cocaine in total Route: Abidjan, Ivory Coast - Tunis, Route: Buenos Aires, Argentina - Cabo Verde Tunisia Route: Guinea Bissau (by road) - Banjul, : the Gambia (by air) - Madrid, Spain Airline: Tunis Air Persons Intercepted: 2 Argentinians Airline: Concealment: on 3 passengers Concealment: hidden inside steel disks sent via courier Concealment: on 2 passengers

AIRCOP receives financial contributions @UNODC_AIRCOP United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime A project funded by from Australia, Canada, , Japan, the the European Union Netherlands, Norway and the United https://bit.ly/2Li5HoC Email: [email protected] States.